Waste balance - Still too much plastic in the recycling bin
In the Baden-Württemberg waste bins, too many things are still ending up that don't belong there and hinder recycling. "That's wasted energy, wasted resources," said Environmental State Secretary Andre Baumann (Greens) for example about found glass, plastic and other non-biological materials in the bio bin for old vegetables, greens or fruit remnants.
Baumann refers to experiences and feedback from public waste disposal companies and biogas plants. In addition, a study from the year 2020 found that each German disposes of around 50 kilograms of biowaste per year in the residual waste instead of in the corresponding bin. "We're seeing similar developments in the south," said Baumann.
Sight checks during waste collection
More and more, biobins are being inspected more closely - and not emptied if they contain too much plastic or other non-biological material. From next year on, stricter scrutiny will also be applied in biogas plants. "If there are too many errors in there, it goes back to the public waste disposal companies and ultimately affects consumers," warned Baumann.
More than 70 percent of the biowaste was recycled and processed into biogas in the previous year, as shown in the waste balance for 2023. The previous year was 68 percent. The increased waste fees are not directly related to the failures. They rose for the eighth year in a row to 190.27 euros per year and household. The previous year was 180.21 euros, which corresponds to an increase of 5.6 percent.
"The high price increase rate of the previous year is now also reflected in the waste fees," said Baumann. However, they are still far below the price increase rates for consumers over the past two years - 29 percentage points lower.
- In an effort to reduce contamination in the commune's biobins, environmental authorities are planning to implement stricter inspections next year, including scrutiny of non-biological materials such as plastic.
- The misplacement of biowaste, like plastic, in the wrong bin in Baden-Württemberg can lead to increased environmental costs, as this waste must be handled as residual waste instead of being processed for biogas production.
- The Waste Ecology Policy in Stuttgart emphasizes the importance of proper waste sorting, as improper disposal of waste, such as plastic, into the biobins can hinder the process of waste reuse and negatively impact the local ecology.
- Baumann emphasized that the improper disposal of plastic waste in biobins not only hinders the recycling process but also increases the environmental costs of waste management in the region.
- As part of Baden-Württemberg's waste management strategy, the focus on waste reuse includes discouraging the use of single-use plastic items, which frequently end up in the wrong waste bins, leading to contamination and reduced waste recycling efficiency.
